Vacaville, Solano Land Trust reach deal to protect hawks, owls

When the Vacaville City Council voted earlier this year to approve the 767-home development known as Brighton Landing to be built on some 230 acres east of Leisure Town Road, part of the agreement was that the developer would pay for protection of habitat elsewhere to protect native Swainson's hawks and burrowing owls.

The first step in that process has been announced, as the city of Vacaville has partnered with Solano Land Trust to arrange a conservation agreement on 116 acres of agricultural land near the eastern Vacaville city limit.

The agreement will ensure that the land will forever remain available for agricultural use, while also protecting burrowing owls and Swainson's hawks. Solano Land Trust, which recently received national accreditation, now has conservation agreements with landowners preserving more than 8,500 acres of agricultural land in Solano County.

Brighton Landing Vacaville, LLC, has been working with the city to develop the Brighton Landing project near Elmira and Leisure Town roads since the mid-2000s. In addition to requiring the protection of 229 acres of foraging habitat for Swainson's hawks and burrowing owls, the city has required that the developer protect 254 acres of agricultural land. The city authorized the developer to protect the land in two phases (116 acres constitutes the first phase) and allowed the bird habitat and the agricultural land to be protected on the same property.

"There are many land trusts from around the state that can be the stewards of conservation agreements. I am glad we were able to partner with our local Solano Land Trust to accomplish this project and that they will be the perpetual steward of the agreement," City Manager Laura Kuhn said in a press release announcing the agreement. "We look forward to working with Solano Land Trust again."

Brighton Landing Vacaville, LLC, purchased land at Holdener Road and worked with Solano Land Trust to place a conservation agreement on the 116 acres of the property and to establish the land trust as the steward of the agreement. The conservation agreement defines how the land may be used and requires that the 116 acres remain intact as a single parcel. Solano Land Trust is responsible for monitoring the property to ensure that current and future landowners uphold the terms of the agreement.

"We are pleased to be able to bring our specialized experience in conservation agreements to assist the city of Vacaville in implementing its land-use plans," said Nicole Byrd, executive director of Solano Land Trust. "We look forward to working with Solano County and all of the cities in our county to protect agricultural land and habitat in the future."

The developer will be required to protect another 142 acres of agricultural land and 113 acres of foraging habitat for Swainson's hawks and burrowing owls before beginning the second phase of the project.